Most agent failures fall into a small number of patterns. Recognizing the pattern helps you choose the right primitive to address it.
Click any card to see typical fixes for that pattern.
Truth-misses (Hallucinations)
Agent confidently invents things that don't exist
Symptoms
- Invents API fields, file paths, or CLI flags
- Sounds plausible but doesn't match reality
- Confident tone despite being wrong
Reactivity-misses
Code compiles but doesn't work at runtime
Symptoms
- Passes type checking but fails at runtime
- Misses implicit rules about system behavior
- Works in isolation but breaks in context
Integration-misses
Doesn't understand what runs where
Symptoms
- Confuses server vs client code
- Mixes up CI vs local behavior
- Doesn't understand mock vs real boundaries
Taste-misses
Technically correct but aesthetically wrong
Symptoms
- DOM assertions pass but UI looks off
- Spacing, hierarchy, or affordances are wrong
- Functional but not polished
Process-misses
Claims done without actually finishing
Symptoms
- Skips running tests
- Doesn't update related docs
- Claims completion prematurely